Welcome to the Blue Hens Family Spotlight, featuring inspirational feature stories on former and current members of the Blue Hen family! In addition to featuring coaches and student-athletes, beginning this summer stories will also feature extended members of the UD family including staff, alumni, donors and fans. If you would like to submit a member of the Blue Hen family for an upcoming feature, please email athletics@udel.edu with the individual's name, contact information, relationship to UD athletics, and a brief synopsis of their story and impact. (We cannot guarantee all nominated stories will be featured.)

(Dec. 7, 2017) -- The relationship between Mike Brey and Martin Ingelsby has taken on many roles during the past 18 years. From player-coach, to assistant coach-head coach, to competitors, they’ve consistently remained friend and mentor.

(Oct. 9, 2017) -- Mark Campbell is all about perfect timing. Whether it’s snapping a shot at just the right moment or jumpstarting his photography career, he values being in the right place at the right time.

(Sept. 7, 2017) -- If any University of Delaware football players need a dose of inspiration this season, they can look to one of their assistant coaches who went from starting to play football in the ninth grade to Super Bowl champion.

(Apr. 19, 2017) -- From day one, Sue and Joyce were your classic Venus and Serena pairing. The Nidzgorski twins grew up playing tennis together, attended the University of Delaware together, and played No. 1 doubles together. With so many similarities, one unfortunate discovery sets the twins apart while also bringing them closer. After an unforgettable contribution to the Blue Hens, school programs, and her family, one moment and two words changed Sue's life forever: ovarian cancer.

(Nov. 4, 2016) -- Born and raised in Hockessin, Delaware, and a graduate of nearby Ursuline Academy with a family full of UD alumni, volleyball player Taylor Hollingsworth has Delaware in her blood. She not only shows that pride by sporting blue and gold on the court, she also demonstrates it by sporting her scrubs at the Christiana Hospital where she treats her fellow Delawareans.

(May 26, 2016) -- As the baseball season closes and the uniforms are put away, it is important to recognize those players who have made a strong impact on the program. For the Delaware baseball team in 2016, it was pitcher Ron Marinaccio who stepped up to the plate this year as a staff's ace and elected team tri-captain. Marinaccio finished the season with a 7-4 record for the Hens.

(May 12, 2016) -- As a collegiate student-athlete, one spends hours crammed into a bus alongside 40 or more teammates, traveling up and down the country for competitions. But UD rowing team member Olivia Brady is no stranger to travel. The Herndon, Va. native has spent the duration of her life traveling, visiting Mexico from the time she was two to studying abroad in Chile through the UD Institute for Global Studies program last January.

(May 10, 2016) --- After a disappointing past two years of missing the conference championship tournament, University of Delaware Softball is once again in contention for a Colonial Athletic Association title.

(Apr. 20, 2016) -- Over the course of a student-athlete's career, their teammates become like family; a backbone to lean on, a support system on and off the field, and supportive friends while they are at school. Grueling practices and early wake-up calls are done alongside teammates, who rely on one another to get them through tough days to achieve success on the field.them taking place when she was just three years old.

(Apr. 14, 2016) -- From the time she was born, track and field Carolyn Darr has been presented with many hurdles in sports and in life. The sprinter has endured five surgeries in her lifetime, three of them taking place when she was just three years old.

(Mar. 16, 2016) -- As his rigidly postured body slipped into the glassy water of the Rawstrom Natatorium pool on the campus of the University of Delaware on Sunday, February 28, diver Luke Winkler knew he had made a winning entrance from the 3-meter springboard.

(Feb. 2, 2016) -- For most student-athletes, their time on the athletic field ends when they hang up their jersey for the last time at the close of their college career. The hours of practice and sweat devoted to their respective sport culminates in a final game. Most then continue on to their respective career field after graduation. For Evan Washburn, he chose to never leave the field.

(Dec. 17, 2015) -- During the 2014 Blue Hens home opener, Alecia Bell's scream ripped through the air, piercing a silenced Bob Carpenter Center. Curled beneath the basket, Bell clutched her leg as coaches and athletic trainers rushed out on to the floor to her aide. After jumping for her own rebound, Bell landed on her left leg, sustaining an injury that quite literally bent her leg in half.

(Dec. 2, 2015) -- When it comes to oncoming attackers flying towards her, Allie Mikelson is a skilled pro on the field hockey turf. She dives towards her opponents with force and demonstrates an exemplary ability to drive the ball away from the Blue Hens penalty circle. A fast and cunning player, Allie can skillfully thwart her opponent's attempts on goal and helped guide Delaware to three straight Colonial Athletic Association titles.

(Oct. 27, 2015) -- On the field, scoring goals can make or break a game in soccer. When the blue and gold uniforms come off, personal goals can make or break a player's future. Guillermo Delgado is following the path to his goals of playing professional soccer through devoting his summers to the Professional Development League.

(Oct. 8, 2015) -- Many of us subconsciously rely on the simple kindness of strangers to get us through our days. A stranger decides to stop at the crosswalk and allows us to pass so we are not late for class; a stranger takes our order at the local coffee joint that allows us to successfully start out our days; a stranger moves out of the way when you merge onto a busy highway.

(Sept. 30, 2015) -- When opportunity strikes on the court, field, or swimming pool, any student athlete knows you have to take risks for a positive outcome. Communication is essential to making these opportunities in sports yield positive outcomes, whether it is a successful game, breakaway goal, or new record.

(June 12, 2015) -- Throughout their respective careers, many athletes will endure a variety of losses: falling short in a big game, missing out on a career record, failing to score a goal on an open net, or sustaining a career-ending injury. However, not all losses occur on the field. Yet, they can still impact performance and concentration, providing an obstacle for athletes to hurdle over.

(May 20, 2015) -- There are 12 Blue Hens who have batted 58 or more times during the 2015 campaign. Out of those 12 players, six proudly call Delaware home. For Zach Lopes, Ty Warrington, Diaz Nardo, Brock Niggebrugge, Calvin Scott and Gary Jones, leaving Delaware never felt right.

(May 7, 2015) -- Triumphant cheering broke through the typical crowd chatter with one precise crack of Jessica Grisler's softball bat in a home game against Drexel March 22. As the clanging of the metal bat making contact with the ball reverberated through the crowd, the softball players and fans at the University of Delaware knew instantly what this double sent into left field meant. Outfielder Grisler had single-handedly broken Delaware's career record for hits.

(May 1, 2015) -- Saturday Night, April 19. Andi Slane sits in bed with a book nestled between her hands. She flips through a few more pages and then calls it a night. She needs her sleep. As her eyes begin to close, her mind still lingers on the message from the page she happened to randomly select.

(Apr. 28, 2015) -- For the average rower, life is anything but ordinary. Four a.m. wake up calls, grueling practices on ice-laden waters, and seemingly endless pieces on the rowing machine are all testaments to a rower's dedication and passion for a sport that culminates in a barely seven-minute race come race day.

(Apr. 21, 2015) -- It's every parent's worst nightmare. After taking their sick toddler to the hospital, Nick Conte and Barrie Jacobs were ushered into a conference room with several doctors and a social worker. As the oncologist was about to speak, Jacobs asked if she could hold her hand.

(Apr. 13, 2015) -- As Delaware student-athletes battle their rival colleges daily on the playing surface, they are also fighting a different kind of opponent: childhood cancer. The Blue Hens have joined in the fight against childhood cancer and have paired with The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation in adopting “B+ Heroes,” children who currently are, or have, battled cancer.

(Mar. 18, 2015) -- Coming into the 2014-15 season, Tim Ware and Lauren Ahrens were well aware of the pressure. Only this time, they were perfectly prepared for it. From the outside looking in, no one would ever know how much the two have in common. They are both seniors, they are both members of the swimming team, they are both captains, and they were both 2011 graduates of Central Bucks South High School in Warrington, Pa. Most importantly, they both decided to attend the University of Delaware, where they would cement their friendship and their place in the record books.

(Mar. 5, 2015) -- Every team has its standout athletes - the heroes of the game who drive the play, push the intensity of the defense or offense, and rally the rest of the team to maximum performance. In order to be a standout on the field, one must typically possess an impressive statistical record or unique technique on the field. But maybe, in order to be a hero on a team, one doesn't always need to be the best of their kind or even have played at all.

(Feb. 16, 2015) -- As a student-athlete, competition and drive to succeed is a measure by which you are judged and critiqued on the court, field or area of play. However, this skill will often trickle down into the player's academics, extracurricular activities, and then eventually into the workforce upon graduation. At Delaware, both the university itself and many players strive to be this well rounded. One student-athlete in particular stands out for her accomplishments.

(Jan. 23, 2015) -- While a student-athlete at any college, one will experience the extreme pride of representing his or her school and may bask in the school spirit associated with his or her particular team. While at school, student-athletes follow traditions and adhere to the values of their sports teams, instilled into them by the legacy of that particular team. These traditions can range from anything to specific drills, to pregame rituals, to team mottos.

(Dec. 16, 2014) -- The holiday season brings upon us a flurry of shopping, reuniting with family or friends, travel and giving back to our community. The University of Delaware men and women's basketball programs did just that on December 11 at the Ronald McDonald House in Wilmington, Del.

(Nov. 20, 2014) -- To a runner, a pair of shoes is everything. It is the vessel that carries them through the highs and lows of the course, protects their feet in harsh conditions, and moves with their rhythmic footsteps as they push through a particularly hard trail. A runner's main guide to survival, in addition to athleticism, is a pair of running sneakers.

(Nov. 5, 2014) -- For those who excel in the sport they play, high school is not only a time to experience the inevitable awkward years of being a teenager, heavy course loads, or immerse oneself in numerous clubs. In addition to all of these things, it is a time to prepare oneself in athletics for college recruitment, to sharpen your playing skills and hopefully get recognized by different universities, if you choose to continue playing a sport at the collegiate level.

(Oct. 23, 2014) -- Like any good head coach, Scott Grzenda of the University of Delaware women's soccer program feels like a proud parent every time he hits the field with his players in tow. But this season held special significance for Grzenda, who just happens to be the only head coach this family has ever known.

(Oct. 16, 2014) -- One of Delaware's most decorated former student-athletes to walk onto the tennis courts is set to add to her long list of honors as women's tennis head coach Laura Leroy Travis prepares to be inducted into the USTA Middle States Hall of Fame this Friday evening.

(Oct. 13, 2014) -- It is widely known that history has a way of repeating itself. Fashion trends, hairstyles, types of presidents and wars all seem to have a way of reappearing in current time. The Delaware men's soccer team is no exception to this rule – the Blue Hens have revealed themselves to come out kicking as strong as the extremely successful team of the 1970 season.

(Oct. 2, 2014) -- University of Delaware women's golfer Nathalie Filler putted her way into the history books recently as she set high standards for the Blue Hens at the Tignanelli Towson Invitational.

(Apr. 30, 2014) -- Women's lacrosse sophomore Erin Wein as had an incredible impact on the University of Delaware's defensive play since she joined the team in 2013. Now she is second overall in the Colonial Athletic Association with 1.87 caused turnovers per game and leads UD with 31 groundballs and caused turnovers.

(Apr. 9, 2014)-- Troy Beneck began playing tennis as a six-year-old when his dad took up the sport and wanted someone to play with for fun. Now, in his senior year, Troy has broken school records for most doubles wins in a single season, most overall doubles wins and most overall singles wins. He is the only player in Delaware history to have reached 70 career singles and doubles victories.

(Mar. 13, 2014) -- As the entire Blue Hens community revels in the men's basketball team's CAA championship last week, the UD women get ready to do the same this weekend. Kelsey Buchanan says that she and her teammates were excited to leave for the CAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, especially after traveling to Baltimore to see the UD men win it all.